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Page 505
can spy out the land, and perhaps we can hear some news of Ian and the boys."
"Not tomorrow," Sir Giles said hesitantly. "We only came todayI suppose it is yesterday by nowourselves, and we came early only by riding through the night." He hesitated again, then added, "Of a truth, I was surprised my lady was not here before us. The summons said, 'with all haste.' But if she had some business we are not aware of One day more we will wait. Perhaps I will ride out myself to look at the keep, but''
In the midafternoon, Ian leaned against the breastwork, his whole body heaving with his breathing. For a short while he was aware of little beyond his gratitude for the respite, gratitude that he did not need to push his overdriven muscles to further effort. Soon other concerns touched him. He turned his head. Geoffrey was squatting limply just behind him, breathing as hard as he was. Ian's eye raked the boy, saw some blood but not much. Geoffrey had done a man's work this day and had come well out of itthus far.
That thought brought another more urgent. How long would they have before the attack was renewed. Ian found an arrowslit and looked out. He smiled with satisfaction. They would need to construct a new ram before setting to work on the gates again. The pitch had not only burnt through the oxhide shield, but the ram itself was burning. Ian looked at the black-coated, burning forms sprawled under, around, and a little way from the ram. Most were very quiet; a few still writhed and made noise. He grinned again, wolfishly. It would not be so easy to find men to work the next ram, nor would their work be effective as they looked above and strained to hear whether another barrel of burning pitch was being dropped.
He looked to the other side along the wall and then farther out. There were not quite so many still bodies as he had hoped, but there seemed to be rather more

 
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